20 of 20, MAYER HAWTHORNE - A STRANGE ARRANGEMENT

19 of 20, MIKE SLOTT - LUCKY 9TEEN

18 of 20, FASHAWN - BOY MEETS WORLD

17 of 20, MACHINEDRUM - WANT TO 1 2?

16 of 20, P.O.S. - NEVER BETTER

15 of 20, LYMBYC SYSTYM - SHUTTER RELEASE

14 of 20, DOOM - BORN LIKE THIS

13 of 20, HUDSON MOHAWKE - BUTTER

12 of 20, DÂM-FUNK - TOEACHIZOWN

11 of 20, PANTyRAiD - THE SAUCE

10 of 20, PREFUSE 73 - EVERYTHING SHE TOUCHED TURNED AMPEXIAN

9 of 20, PAUL WHITE - THE STRANGE DREAMS OF PAUL WHITE

8 of 20, NOSAJ THING - DRIFT

7 of 20, FINALE - A PIPE DREAM AND A PROMISE

6 of 20, ELIOT LIPP - PEACE LOVE WEED 3D

5 of 20, 14KT - NOWALATAZ

4 of 20, BROTHER ALI - US

3 of 20, PPP - ABUNDANCE

2 of 20, BIBIO - AMBIVALENCE AVENUE

1 of 20, EXILE - RADIO

2009 is officially winding down. It's time to look back and celebrate the year that was. Here are my 20 favorite albums from 2009 (in no particular order), two a day for the remainder of the year. Enjoy.

WARP 2010...

The chaps across the pond at Warp are giving the people a taste of what the new year has to offer with their Warp 2010 compilation. It features new(ish) material from Bibio, Flying Lotus, Rustie, Hudson Mohawke, Gonjasufi, and more. The future is lookin' good.

PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS...

New video from KiD CuDi. This is "Pursuit of Happiness" featuring MGMT & Ratatat. Taken from Cudder's dolo debut Man On The Moon: End of Days.

SEVEN SEALS...

Looking to join a cult? Here's your soundtrack. Seven Seals is the new album from James Pants and it features a heavy dose of psych & synths that'll have you ready to go P.A.G.A.N. in no time. Courtesy of Stones Throw.

VILLA MANIFESTO EP...

Out today is the Villa Manifesto EP from ground-breaking Motown hip-hop crew Slum Village. The EP serves as a precursor to the full length Villa Manifesto that will hit in 2010. 6 new tracks from SV featuring production from Young RJ, Madlib, and more.

GHOST CLOCK (VIDEO)...

New video from the brothers Bell, otherwise known as Lymbyc Systym. This is "Ghost Clock" from their latest effort Shutter Release. Directed by Jeff Kolar.

MIRRORS...

New video from electro-boogie kingpin Dâm-Funk. This is "Mirrors" from his recently compiled Toeachizown project on Stones Throw. Check it out.

COASTAL BRAKE...

Out this week is Coastal Brake, the latest single from SF based designer slash electronic music producer Tycho. Another meticulously crafted piece of ambient electronic music from the Ghostly camp. Dreamy stuff.

$FREE.99: ATL RMX

Wowza! [adult swim] has outdone themselves. They've curated a remix effort called ATL RMX that pits dirty south emcees like Lil Jon & Gucci Mane against a who's who of future hip-hop beat makers including El-P, Dabrye, Michna, XXXChange, Flying Lotus, Prefuse 73, Hudson Mohawke, and more! Need I say more? Click here to download.

TIL THE CASKET DROPS...

Also out this week is Til The Casket Drops, the highly anticipated third go-around from Virginia Beach duo the Clipse.



The album features guest turns from Cam'ron, Yeezy, Ab Liva, and more. As usual, the lion's share of the production is handled by The Neptunes. I may not always be down with their lyrical content, but their delivery is top-notch.

ECSTASY & FRIENDS...

Lots of new music coming out this week. First up is Ecstasy & Friends from British electronic producer Loné. Another solid collection of dreamy, nostalgic beatscapes that hit softly but stick with you. Check out "Karen Loves Kate" after the jump.

NIGHT BY NIGHT...

New video from Chromeo for "Night By Night" featuring some top-notch dance moves from Dave 1.

NIKE LUNARLITE REJUVEN8...

Coming soon. Looks crazy comfy.

LIL' GIRL...

New video from SA-RA member Shafiq Husayn. This is "Lil' Girl" featuring Fatima from his debut solo jawn Shafiq En' A-Free-Ka. Courtesy of Plug Research.

$FREE.99: PAUL WHITE - SOUNDS FROM THE SKYLIGHT (SIDE B)

Sounds From The Skylight (Side B) from Paul White is now available for download FREE of charge via Bandcamp. Click here to download.

LUCKY 9TEEN...

Out today is Lucky 9Teen, the new mini-album from innovative electronic beat maker (and NoDoz alumni) Mike Slott. It's 30 minutes of lush soundscapes that buzz and whir in beautiful ways. Amazing stuff.

$FREE.99: LUPE FIASCO - ENEMY OF THE STATE: A LOVE STORY

New FREE mixtape from Lupe Fiasco called Enemy of the State: A Love Story. It's 22 minutes of goodness from one of the best lyricists in the game. Click here to download.

KAWS x RxART x KIEHL'S...

Stay moisturized my friends.

$FREE.99: PAUL WHITE - SOUNDS FROM THE SKYLIGHT (SIDE A)

Paul White, the UK's answer to Madlib, has had a strong year in 2009 with several hot releases. To finish off the year he's giving away a new mixtape called Sounds From The Skylight FREE via his Bandcamp account. Click here to download the first half of the mix. The second half drops next week.

AWAY FROM...

Dope series of images gathered by Robot Koch and set to "Away From". The song and visuals really come together nicely on this one. Check it out.

THE KRINK MINI...

All black MINI Cooper gets the drip treatment from KR.

CONVERSE PRODUCT(RED) CHUCK TAYLOR ALL-STAR LEOPARD...

It's like a low-top version of the Wood Wood Chuck Taylor. Fresh.

THE ART OF LIVING...

Nice clip from upstart SF street wear brand Black Scale promoting The Tenderloin Project. All proceeds go back to the Tenderloin community and its people.

FELT 3: A TRIBUTE TO ROSIE PEREZ...

Murs (raps) + Slug (raps) + Aesop Rock (beats) = Felt 3. The title of the album is A Tribute to Rosie Perez. Out now on Rhymesayers. Go get it.

ECHO PARTY...

Two years ago, Edan was given access to Traffic Ent. back catalog of old-school rap and asked to create something new and original from it. The result is Echo Party, a 30-minute mix of dance, rap, and punk utilizing everything from turntables, tape echo, guitar, moog, and maybe even kazoos. Wowza.

ULTRAVIOLET...

Out today is Ultraviolet, the looooong overdue debut from CHI-town party-starter Kid Sister.



The album features production from a who's who of dance oriented hip-hop music including A-Trak, XXXchange, and DJ Gant-Man in addition to vocal turns from KanYe West, Estelle, and Cee-Lo.

I must admit I'm a little worried about the longevity of this record though. We'll have to see how it holds up over time. Check out the video for lead single "Right Hand Hi" below.

MORS FOOTWEAR...

SUPER clean. Mors Footwear is doin' it!

KNOCKED DOWN...

New video from The Cool Kids. This is "Knocked Down" from the Gone Fishing mixtape collaboration with Don Cannon. Peep it.

GOURMET QUATTRO...

Part of the Holiday 2009 collection from Gourmet. Super clean.

THE APPLE AND THE TOOTH...

Also out this week is The Apple & The Tooth from Bibio. The album serves as a companion piece to the highly praised Ambivalence Avenue and features 4 new tracks from Bibio himself in addition to remixes from Clark, Wax Stag, Eskmo, Letherette, Lone, and more. Definitely check this one out. Courtesy of Warp.

ATTENTION DEFICIT...

Out today via Allido/Interscope is Attention Deficit, the long awaited debut from DC hip-hop wunderkind Wale.



The album is heavy with guest spots including Bun B, K'naan, Gucci Mane (yikes!), Lady GaGa (double yikes!), and more. Production is handled by a diverse group including Dave Sitek (of TVOTR fame), The Neptunes, Cool & Dre, Mark Ronson, and Best Kept Secret. Peep "World Tour" featuring Jazmine Sullivan after the jump.

TRIPPIN' AT THE DISCO...

Disco-rrific! New video from People Under The Stairs. This is "Trippin' At The Disco" from the highly slept-on Carried Away. Give it up for The P.

$FREE.99: ALEX B - BRAIN FOOD

Electro hip-hop beat maker Alex B has put together a mix of new unreleased tunes for FlyLo's Brainfeeder imprint (appropriately titled Brain Food) and is giving it away for FREE. Click here to download.

SHUTTER RELEASE...

Also out this week is Shutter Release, the sophomore full-length from brotherly post-rock duo Lymbyc Systym. The Brothers Bell deliver another batch of grandiose arrangements full of stacked keys, busy drums, majestic brass, and disembodied vocals. This is A+ headphone music for sure.

THE MUSIC SCENE...

Out this week in digital format only is The Music Scene, the new record from Blockhead. Block has taken his production game to the next level with TMS, incorporating Ableton Live into the mix to help him string together multiple beats, weaving them together into complex, surprising, and ultimately rewarding tunes. Check for it.

NOSAJ THING VISUAL SHOW TEST SHOOT...

Having seen this, I'm kicking myself that I missed the Nosaj Thing record release show in SF a few months back.

NIKE SPORTSWEAR BLAZER MID SUPREME "CURRY"...

Very nice. I'm intrigued...

KEEP IT GOIN' LOUDER...

The zombie vibe depicted in the new Major Lazer video just feels appropriate today. Get down to "Keep It Goin' Louder" featuring Nina Sky & Ricky Blaze. Happy Halloween ya'll.

NoDoz: ROBOT KOCH

Yesterday we showed some love for a NoDoz alumni, today we introduce the newest inductee, Robot Koch.



Up to this point the Berlin-based producer was best known for his work with club trio Jahcoozi and German post-rock outfit The Tape, but that's all about to change.

RK is going for dolo. His debut full-length, Death Star Droid, drops next month and the tunes contained within range from wonky hip-hop to moody dubstep to driving electro.

CAMBIO WECHSEL...

The new album from Kelpe, Cambio Wechsel, came out a few weeks back and since I picked it up it's been in heavy rotation. The NoDoz alumni delivers the goods with 12 new jams filled with psyched out electronics, buzzing melodies, and fuzzy bass-lines. All good things.

NIKE SB STEFAN JANOSKI OBSIDIAN LEATHER...

I'm all over these. Super clean.

BUTTER...

Out today is Butter, the highly anticipated (at least by me) debut full-length from Glasgow, Scotland producer Hudson Mohawke.



The album is jam-packed with spastic, neon-tinted electro-funk compositions that combine stuttering hip-hop beats, pitched-up vocal samples, and glitchy 8-bit melodies. Sample "FUSE" after the jump. Good stuff.

BOY MEETS WORLD...

The debut from Fashawn, Boy Meets World, dropped last week and I must say I'm thoroughly impressed.



Produced entirely by Exile, the beats are top-notch. However, Fashawn more than holds his own from a lyrical standpoint as well. Kid has great presence behind the mic and shows nice range with his content.

2009 hasn't delivered a whole lot of great hip-hop records but this is surely one of them. Give this kid a listen.